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Man Utd defender’s Euro dreams almost over as Northern Ireland fall to fifth successive defeat

Jonny Evans and Northern Ireland are enduring a nightmare run of form at the moment. 

The Manchester United defender’s team succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Kazakhstan on Sunday.

The result almost ended their hopes for the 2024 European Championships next summer.

Magomed Adiyev’s side scored the opening goal in the 27th minute with Maxim Samorodov firing home from 20 yards. 

Conor McMenamin had a brilliant opportunity to restore parity, but he missed his chance before half-time. 

Conor Washington also came close to levelling the scores after the interval but his shot was superbly saved by Igor Shatsky. 

The two sides were almost equally matched in quality, but Samorodov’s strike proved to be the difference as Kazakhstan registered a deserved victory. 

The latest defeat leaves Northern Ireland with only three points from their six matches in Group H and with little chance of qualifying for Euro 2024.

While Evans produced a decent defensive performance against Kazakhstan, he couldn’t prevent his side from losing another game. 

The 35-year-old was assured throughout and didn’t make any major mistakes. He had 78 touches in the match, winning three aerial duels and making two clearances. 

The experienced defender’s pass accuracy was over 80 percent (as per WhoScored).  

Evans, who joined the Red Devils on a one-year deal this summer, scored a goal in Northern Ireland’s recent 4-2 loss against Slovenia.

However, the centre-back also deflected Petar Stojanovic’s shot into his own net in the first half to crown an indifferent performance.